For Who Has Sight So Keen and Strong
by Frizz the Eccentric
Summary: Ben Sisko promised he would come back, maybe in a year, maybe yesterday. 97 years later, he has returned. Previously titled "The Promise"
1. I shot an arrow into the air,

**The Promise**

Disclaimer: Sisko is not mine. Star Trek is not mine. Bajor is not mine. The Prophets are not mine. They are Paramount's.

Also, enormous virtual cookies and hugs to Colbers for Beta-ing, and letting me use some of her lines!

_I shot an arrow into the air,  
_

"_The time has come." Said the Prophet, now taking the form of Zare. _

"_Yes." Said the Sisko. _

And suddenly, it was black. Benjamin's lungs filled with air. His pulse throbbed. He knew this place. He had left here, so long ago. Hundreds of years, it must have been. No, it was so short; it must have been a second. No, it was time beyond time. But he knew where he was. The Fire Caves. He got up off the ground, and moved to the mouth of the cave. He knew which way to go almost instinctively. He felt very foggy about his immediate surroundings, but very clear about greater things. He knew that here, in the corporeal world, a great length of time had passed. Bajor was doing well. Crops had been good for a while now, a very long while. All his time away had not been so good. There had been disease, there had been death, and there had been pain. But now things were alright. Things would continue that way for many, many years. He had learned a great deal from the prophets.

Finally, he reached the mouth of the cave, and looked at the rocky landscape. He glanced down at himself, and saw that he was wearing his Starfleet Uniform, the one he'd been wearing when he went with the Prophets. He knew nobody was aware of his arrival. He began his walk to the closest village.

Jijiji

He walked for about a day without resting. He found that he did not become weary, hungry or thirsty, but he had not expected those things. He reached the village by mid-day. It was a small, cozy rural village, isolated from the large cities that had popped up during his time away. But, there was still quite a bit of difference. It was laid out in the traditional bull's eye pattern of Bajoran towns, with one center circle of businesses and shops, one middle circle of homes, and one outer circle of farm lands, with two major roads cutting the whole circle into even quarters. But, the farming area was much smaller, and the living and commerce areas were much larger then he remembered. The farmlands were no longer dotted by people laboring in the fields, but now great, spindly machines were doing the harvesting. As he entered the living area, he saw that the small vegetable gardens of the Lower Class Section were still there, but replaced largely by flower beds. In both halves of the living section, the buildings looked sleeker, more stylized, showing that they were no longer built out of only necessity. There was an art to building again. The people too, seemed different. Gone was the look of pain, of fresh wounds on the Bajorans. Time had healed them. Their clothing sported more rich and vibrant colors than ever before. The Commerce Section was busy, filled with people, buying things not only because they needed them, but because they wanted them. It was not totally industrialized. The buildings had considerable space between taken up by trees and flower beds. Many people were selling things from carts and stands.

Benjamin walked over to a man selling kava nuts and roots from a stand, a portly man with a jovial expression.

"Hello." He said "I am Benjamin Sisko, and…"

The man laughed loudly.

"Yes, you're Benjamin Sisko, and I'm Kai Kalen." He said

"What?"

"Did you really think I would believe that? I mean, you've got the uniform, and you look kind of like him, but, really?"

"Yes. Really. I really am Benjamin Sisko."

"And I'm Kai Kalen. Would you like some kava roots?" The man said, still smiling.

"No, thank you. Could you please tell me where I could find a way to Jalanda City?"

"Sure. There's a Mass Transport Building about ten blocks that way." He said, pointing. "Only one around for a while."

"Thank you. Also, would you be kind enough to tell me what year it is?"

The salesman laughed again.

"It's 2472, Federation Standard."

"Ah. Thank you." And he left for the Transport Building.

"Hey! Are you really Benjamin Sisko?" The salesman called after him.

"Yes!" Sisko said, not turning around.

Jijiji

_May the United Federation of Planets Standard Year 2472 be known on Bajor as the Year of the Return. _

Jijiji

Okay, so there's an excellent chance this won't be updated for a long while, maybe not until September. Appy polly lodgies for that. But, there will be a time when I am not devoting my creative juices to other things, and will be able to update often, so bear with me please!


	2. It fell to earth, I know not where

Disclaimer: Sisko is not mine. Star Trek is not mine. Bajor is not mine. They are Paramount's.

A/N: This is up _way _earlier then I expected, which is good. However, it's unbeta-ed, for which I apologize, so any correction is spelling or grammar will be appreciated. Thank you so much to the people who reviewed the last chapter, I hope the rest of the story satisfies.

_It fell to earth, I know not where; _

"Yes, now, can anyone define the literary term 'Sisko'?"

The talkative girl raised her hand.

"It means a person sent by a god to help people."

"Yes, excellent, now…"

Jijiji

The Mass Transport Building was crowded. There were six terminals, this being a small town. Three going to Jalanda, Hathon and Ilvia respectively and three coming from each of those cities. There was room for twenty people per terminal. There was a seventh terminal for luggage, but most people left for day trips only and it was used rarely. But it was very crowded that day. Most of the people were Bajoran, but he saw a number of other species there, even one Cardassian woman. He had a few people come up to him, sheepishly, and ask if he was Ben Sisko. One woman even hugged him when he told her "Yes."

Jalanda City was crowded. The buildings were close together and tall enough that they seemed to scrape the sky. People were rushing around, moving quickly, but still they were Bajorans, pleasant friendly people who said "Hello" even if they were in a hurry. There was a considerable amount of non-Bajorans. A few people boldly asked if he was Ben Sisko. One man even cried "Thank the Prophets!" when he told him "Yes." An old woman pointed at him, terrified, and screamed "Borhya! It's Sisko's Borhya!"

When he entered the Minister's Building, a young woman walked over to him and said "Benjamin Sisko? I'm Rhit Kesha, an assistant of the First Minister. She wants to see you immediately, if you'll please follow me."

"Of course. You sure find out about things quickly."

"An engineer at the MTB let us know about your arrival."

"Ah. And who is the First Minister?"

"Laan Toli."

"And how long has First Minister Laan been serving?"

"Six years and three months."

They reached a door which said in Bajoran script "Conference Room 3." Inside sat a man in a traditional Kai headdress, and a woman with graying hair. They looked up and the woman gasped slightly. The man was calmer. He got up and walked to Sisko, and felt his pagh.

"Yes. He is the emissary. I have never felt a pagh so strong. Hello, I'm Kai Kalen." He said, shaking his hand. Laan got up, wide-eyed and shook his hand as well.

"Hello, Emissary-"

"Please, call me…" He paused for a minute. Everyone on the station had called him captain, but he wasn't the captain anymore. Being called "Emissary" bothered him. Benjamin was informal….

"Sisko." He decided.

"Sisko. Of course. We…everyone on Bajor… we're overjoyed that you've returned…" She took long pauses, and obviously no one in the room knew what to say.

"I would like to be filled in on what's happened since I've been gone." Sisko said, breaking latest the silence.

The First Minister jumped in, relieved.

"About fifteen years after you left, an epidemic struck Bajor. The disease was deadly, but only to Bajorans. We suspect that it came from the Gamma Quadrant. We found a cure after a few years, but it had already wiped out about a fourth of our population. But we survived."

Sisko nodded. The disease, the death, the pain he had sensed.

"The Prophets had proven that our faith in them could endure after the Occupation. They needed to see if our faith in you would endure as well." Explained the Kai.

"What about the rest of the quadrant?" Asked Sisko.

"There was a war between the Romulans and the Cardassians, from '53 to mid '56, the Grey War, but there has been mostly peace."

"What about the Gamma quadrant?"

"Again, there has been peace since the Dominion War. We, the Federation, allied with the Dominion in '44. That alliance allowed us access to their information about the Gamma Quadrant. We've been exploring with that information. We've currently got a few ships on an explorative mission around the whole perimeter of the galaxy."

"Excellent. That's wonderful." Sisko said.

"Sisko, you must be exhausted." Said Laan. "I'll have someone show you to a hotel. We've arranged a room for you."

"Alright." Sisko was not tired, of course, but he had a great deal to think about.

Jijiji

After two hours or so in his room, comfortable but with hideous wallpaper, a thin and timid Bajoran man came to see Benjamin.

"Hello. What can I do for you?" He asked.

"Um…Hello…Emissary?" He said nervously.

"Sisko."

"Sisko…Uh, I'm Dr. Subo, Chief Medical Officer at um, the Hathon Federation Base, and I, um, well, my team and I, well, we were hoping that, uh, er, you would allow us to, um, run a few, uh, tests, uh, on you." He swallowed.

"You see," He continued "you being, well, not quite human anymore, and us having no way of testing the Prophets to find out what, you know, they are, and you're the closest thing we've got, and we'd really like to know more about them, and more about you, and the tests are simple, and not painful or anything, and…"

"Yes. I'm all for it. I'd like to know more about me, too. And the Prophets."

Dr. Subo smiled. "I hoped you'd agree. We can go now, if you'd like, or whenever. My team is ready whenever you are."

"Now is fine."

They walked out of the hotel, to the Mass Transport Building, and the Federation Base, in silence. All the while, Sisko was thinking about how much the doctor reminded him of Bashir. A young man, fresh out of the Academy, with the world at his fingertips.

Jijiji

Dr. Subo had been right, the tests were simple. The entire battery had taken about three and a half hours, including a molecular scan, a cellular scan, tests to gauge ranges of vision, hearing, smell and taste, images taken of every single organ and muscle, several brain scans to determine awareness and intelligence, and many more.

"So, this is what we've come up with." Said Subo, now with much more confidence then three hours prior. "Your cells are normal, human cells, but at the molecular level, there are differences. Your molecular structure resembles an energy being more then a corporeal one. Your vision, taste, smell, touch and hearing are all normal. The brain scans showed that your intelligence is the same as it had been when you…left…but your awareness is much higher, similar to Betazoids or Vulcans. You said you've never been able to sense other's thoughts or feelings, correct? The most unusual thing, by far, though, is your physiology. Your skin, bones, muscles, all visible organs, were normal in appearance. But, upon further inspection, we found that they were nothing like the organs. Your skin has no layers, it's just one mass. Your eyes are the same ways, and bones and muscles. They look normal, but they're solid masses. Your internal organs weren't separate. They were all one large mass. But everything was the correct weight and density."

"Well…that's interesting."

"Quite interesting."

"I think I'd like to go back to my room now."

"Of course. We'll have you transported there immediately."

"I think I can walk there by myself, thank you." Sisko made his way for the door.

"I don't think that would be wise. More people are aware of your return. Your presence in the streets will surely cause a scene, which I think you'd like to avoid."

"Alright. Transporter it is."

Jijiji

He spent the rest of the night in his room. He though about the test results. Although they were initially surprising, they made sense. He was not human anymore, but he took the form of one. He wondered if he could alter his appearance, and tried it, but to no avail. He was aware of the past, and the future. That ability seemed to have grown since he first arrived, but he thought it might just be the confusion fading, revealing stronger senses. But he had lost a sense of immediate time. He only knew how long it had been since he left the Federation Base by keeping track with the computer. He still felt a strong connection with the Prophets. He knew they were watching him, not in a testing, prying sort of way, but a parental way. It was comforting. The Prophets were walking with him, and they were pleased.

He guessed that his location had been kept under wraps, since he'd had no visitors. The hotel staff might not even know he was there.

He'd been doing some tests of his own. He found that he still enjoyed eating, even though he obviously didn't need to anymore. He wondered where the food went. To the Prophets, maybe? He could sleep, in a way. His body was resting, and he felt the peace and calm of sleep but he was still aware. It was as if his mind hovered over his body while it slept.

Jijiji

At about mid-morning the next day, he was a little startled to hear the door chime.

"Come in." He said.

A prylar walked in, a little chubbier then one would expect a monk to be.

"Hello, I'm Prylar Lit. I've been sent to show you the library." There was numbness in his voice.

"What library?"

"Oh. I though you'd know. The Library of the Emissary."

"I have a library devoted to me?"

At that, the monk broke his coldness and laughed.

"You have whole cities devoted to you!" He said.

Jijiji

The Library of the Emissary was splendid. It was filled with books about the Emissary, books about studiers of the Emissary, books of the prophecies about the Emissary, books about prophecies about the Emissary, books about works of art devoted to the Emissary. It had everything Jake Sisko had ever published. It had a family chart hanging on the wall, along with several portraits. Sisko didn't know whether to feel overjoyed or horrified. Every single event in his life was on record.

The family tree interested him the most. There were no birth or death dates. Sarah had been labeled as "Sarah, Mother of the Emissary." Kasidy's child had been named Lila. Lila married a man named Perdu, and they'd had one child, Fatima. Fatima had married a man named Dev'r, and they'd had two children, Xia and Zare. Zare had married a woman named Kio, and they'd had a child called Wena. He wondered how old all there people must be. Jake had married a woman named Seana, and had two children, Ceri and Cara, the latter of whom had married Bopha, and had a child named Vert.

"Is there anything you would like, Emissary?" Asked Prylar Lit.

"Yes." Said Sisko "I'd like to see my family."


	3. For, so swiftly it flew, the sight

Disclaimer: Sisko is not mine. Star Trek is not mine. Bajor is not mine. They are Paramount's.

_For, so swiftly it flew, the sight _

She was old. 97, to be exact. Her white hair was like a cotton ball around her head. To her great-granddaughter (who called her "Grandma"), she was sweet and playful. But around adults, there was a hint of bitterness, resentment for the world. But the first thing Sisko noticed about her was how much she looked like Kasidy.

"Lila." He shook her hand, and then hugged her.

"You look just like your mother." He told her.

She smiled.

"That's funny. She always told me how much I look like you."

His family had come to see him at his hotel room in three groups. First, Ceri and Cara and Bopha, and they're son Vert. Then Fatima and Dev'r. This was the last, Zare and Kio, and their daughter Wena, and Lila, who lived with them since Wena was born and joked that they inherited her unwittingly.

Wena was a beautiful little girl. She was only four years old, and he could tell by her greeting that she was creative, too. She seemed to be nothing but eyes. Large, pretty, brown eyes.

"M'yow." She said.

"Did you just meow?"

"Well, what do you expect a kitty-cat to say?"

"Oh. I'm sorry; I didn't realize you were a cat. I thought you were a girl."

"I'm a girl cat."

"Today," said Kio, "She's a cat, tomorrow she's a fish, next week she's a princess."

"You must be very imaginative." He said, and Wena grinned widely and sincerely.

"Did you really go with the prophets?" She asked.

He was a little surprised, not by the question, but by the fact that no one had asked it yet.

"Yes, I went with the prophets."

"What was it like?"

This, he had not been expecting, and did not know what to say. It had been like being aware of everything that had happened, and that will happen, could or could have happened. It was like being one with the universe. But, there were no words to describe it. It was so pure and simple that no explanation could satisfy him.

"It was like being able to see all the shades of grey."

There was silence.

"It's hard to explain." He said quietly.

"No," said Lila. "I understand."

She looked to the others, then back to Sisko, then to the others again.

"Could we have some time alone?" She asked the room. Then she spoke to Benjamin directly.

"There's a lot I'd like to talk about."

"Of course." Said Zare, shuffling his wife and child out.

But, the minute the door shut, an awkward silence arose.

"I'm sorry." Sisko said.

"For what?"

"For not being there, not being with you, not being your father."

"You had to be the Emissary."

"It could have waited. I should have been a father first. And I'm sorry."

"There's no need to be sorry. I had a wonderful childhood. I have a wonderful life."

Another silence.

"Tell me about Perdu." Sisko broke the silence again.

She inhaled deeply.

"He was wonderful. The most wonderful person in the world. He was the perfect husband, the perfect father to Fatima."

"Were you close with Jake?"

"Oh, yes. Of course, he had a family of his own, but he always made time for mom and me. He would cook for everyone on Saturday nights, us and Seana, and the twins, and whoever else. Mom and I would help."

"That sounds like fun."

"Great fun! Do you cook?"

Sisko laughed.

"Do I cook? Do _I_ cook? I taught Jake-o everything he knew about cooking!"

"We should cook together sometime."

"Yes, definitely. Next Saturday?"

"It's a date."


	4. Could not follow it in its flight

Disclaimer: Sisko is not mine. Star Trek is not mine. Bajor is not mine. They are Paramount's.

This chapter's pretty short, but the next one will be much longer. Tell me what you think!

_Could not follow it in its flight_

His eyes were as cold as the stones. Next to each other, precise squares that formed a precise rectangle, garnished with flowers, as Earth tradition dictates.

Kasidy Danielle Sisko nee Yates

2338-2419

Beloved mother,

Dear friend

Jacob Isaac Sisko

Dear husband, father, uncle.

"_Your friend is your needs answered.  
He is your field which you sow with love and reap with thanksgiving.  
And he is your board and your fireside.  
For you come to him with your hunger, and you seek him for peace."_ – Kalil Gibran

2355-2468

"I wanted them to put a quote from _Anslem_ or _The Fourth Sun _on it_. _Those were always my favorites. But Cara and Ceri decided that he was too modest."

"I think it suits him." Ben said, flatly and quietly.

"Nog cried so much at the funeral. You've never heard so much whimpering." Lila told him, but he wasn't listening.

"I told her I'd be back. I told her I'd come back." He felt like crying, but no tears came.

"You couldn't control it. It'd not your fault."

"It _is_ my fault. I should have been there. I should have been there when they needed me."

"Needed you?" Suddenly, the air had turned from bitter to sour. "She did not _need _you. She wanted you, but my mother was strong. She did not sit around waiting for you to come back. She had a child to take care of. She had a job. We had a life more then just missing you."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to… I know that Kasidy was strong. I know that she wouldn't have sat around and waited for me." Sisko said, now more upset and angry with himself. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize. I shouldn't have snapped at you."

They stood in silence.

Jijiji

Sisko stepped into the main room of the temple, feeling the eyes of the monks staring in awe behind him. He knelt in front of the shrine, and began the Bajoran Death Chant.

"Ahn-kay ya, ay-ya vasu. Coh-ma-ra, di-nay-ya…"


	5. I breathed a song into the air,

Disclaimer: Sisko is not mine. Star Trek is not mine. Bajor is not mine. They are Paramount's.

_I breathed a song into the air,_

"_Captain's Log, Stardate 53299.3 Thanks to the careful planning of the Bajoran Ministry, Benjamin Sisko, accompanied by his granddaughter and great-granddaughter, arrived aboard the Orpheus today without problems. He has requested a tour of the ship during the third shift, so as to minimize potential danger. I did not see this as necessary, as I believe my crew and their families are completely capable of self-control, even in the presence of a religious icon. Nevertheless I appeased his request..." _

The uniforms had changed, of course. They were always becoming sleeker, their form became more functional. The commbadge was now a part of the fabric of the tunic, made of wiring so fine that is could simply be woven in among the golden threads. The civilians had communicators, too, one large flexible wire that went around the ear, and could be worn even by children. The black sleeves extended into fingerless gloves, which were also tricorders, build into the garment. The entire thing was strong enough to prevent burns from a phaser blast, but light enough that the wearer could move freely.

The ship itself was sleeker, as well. Technology gets bigger and bigger, then smaller and smaller. The warp-drive was half the size of what Benjamin remembered. A replicater was one third. Both were double the efficiency. The food tasted better, the ship ran clearer.

Altogether, Benjamin had found the trip very enjoyable. He was amused by the conflicting ideas about him; one group saying that he was acting strange and eccentric, using a Starship to get from Bajor to Deep Space 9. The other group insisted that there must be some greater reason for it.

Jijiji

Deep Space 9 was still in operation, of course. Many things had changed, of course. First of all, it was commonly referred to by Bajorans as "The House of the Emissary" and a small sect of the Bajoran Religion has a temple of the same name on the Promenade. Old O'Brien's mishmash of Cardassian and Federation technology had become more tame, and much more Bajoran.

Benjamin only wandered during the third shift, when most people were asleep. The chance of being mobbed by worshippers was minimal then. But still, he drew a crowd. Mostly non-Bajorans, too. He was struck by the many, many unfamiliar species who came to gawk at him. A group of tall, sheet-white people with orange hair and reptilian eyes, who wore white robes. A man who had holes in the back of his shirt revealing small wings. A little boy, no older then Wena, who gazed up at him with three green eyes.

Then there were the buttons. Flat, round blue buttons on the walls, with labels telling the reader where they were. One in Ops, one in the Commanding Officer's office, one on each level of the Promenade, one at Quarks (Which now bore a sign reading "Since 2363"),one in SickBay, et cetera. When you pressed them, they gave you a brief history of the place. The First Officer, a young Human man, who gave Benjamin and Wena the official tour, was obviously not a fan, saying

"This is a Space Station, not the Ben Sisko museum!" Upon meeting Benjamin's eyes, he immediately regretted it.

"Oh! Zarquon! I'm sorry… I didn't mean…to-"

"It's alright. I completely agree." Said Sisko. And he did. This wasa Space Station, _not _a museum, and it should be treated like one.

The officer exhaled with relief .

Ben Sisko looked down at Wena.

"Now, what would you like to see next?"

"Um… Can we go back to the Quarters?" She said, nervous at seeming unappreciative.

"Of course."


	6. It fell to earth, I knew not where

Disclaimer: Sisko is not mine. Star Trek is not mine. Bajor is not mine. They are Paramount's.

Reviews are greatly appreciated, and will be rewarded with virtual baked goods.

_It fell to earth, I knew not where; _

His back was turned. He was looking into a shop window. He was an easy target.

"You didn't think you could get rid of me that _easily_, did you?"

Sisko turned around. He knew the voice. No, not the voice, the tone of the voice, the arrangement of words, the sarcasm. He could feel the familiar presence, mostly the same, but very different, like different pieces of the same kind of fruit.

"Dax! Of course not, old man. I knew that nearly a hundred years in a different dimension wouldn't stop you." He joked.

He hugged his old friend in a new shape. This one was, in fact, a man, approaching middle age, with dark red hair, and strong jaw line that didn't match his small nose.

"I'm Kilos." He said.

"Where are you living? What are you doing?" Sisko asked.

"I'm living on Betazed, working at the Daystrom Institute on a new project in botany. We're trying to create a crop that can live in the thinnest layers of a planet's atmosphere."

"Any special reason?"

"Overpopulated planets that don't have the space or the soil for it. Also, because we can."

Sisko smiled and nodded.

"Let's go sit down and talk." He suggested.

They sat down at the deserted Replimat, now equipped with a replicater on each table, small enough that four people can have a good amount of space.

"So, what happened?" Sisko asked. "I mean, to everybody? What happened to Ezri and Julian? What happened to Quark?"

"Ezri and Julian got married in 2377. They had two _beau_tiful daughters, and one strikingly hansom son named Benjamin." He was hamming it up, exaggerating his gestures and pronunciation, but what he said was the truth.

"Quark stuck with the bar until his dying day-"

"Did he give it to Rom when he died?"

"No, Rom was busy being the Grand Nagus. It went to a Ferengi woman named Pel."

"A woman?"

"Ferenginar changed a lot when Rom because the Nagus. Even Quark changed."

"And she kept the name?"

"She said it was for the effect, keeping history alive and all that, but I think she couldn't bear to change it. She really liked Quark."

"I'm glad somebody did. What about Kira? Or Odo, did he ever come back?"

"Kira was a fine commander of Deep Space 9. Odo came back from Found'World-"

"Found'World?"

"A contraction of Founder's Home World. Where the Changelings live."

"Ah."

"And there was an alliance formed with the Dominion and the Federation. Odo and Kira lived together on the station, but Odo left after she died. He's now the Federation Ambassador of Found'World."

"I'd like to see him sometime. Are you in contact with him?"

"Not really. We've kind of drifted, since Jadzia and he weren't ever very close. So, what have you been doing?"

"Since I got here? Reconnecting with my family, trying to find my place in the universe as a religious icon, reconciling with new abilities and not being entirely human anymore."

"Little things. Word on the comms is you can see into the future." Kilos raised a questioning eyebrow.

Benjamin chuckled.

"No. Well, yes. Well, a little. I have a sense of the future."

"A sense? In what sense?"

"I have a kind of…knowing of what the future will feel like. I can't see it, I can feel it."

"And this only applies to Bajor, or everything?"

"Just Bajor."

"Darn. I was hoping you could tell me what the problem with the pneumatic crops _feels_ like."

Sisko chuckled again.

Jijiji

After the people started to gather around their table, Dax and Sisko went back to Sisko's quarters to talk. They reminisced and chatted about what became of everybody. Like two old men, old friends.

After a few hours on Memory Lane, Dax went back to his quarters. Lila and Wena were out, and Sisko was alone with his memories. Ghosts, long gone faces and voices in his head. He missed them all so much.


	7. For who has sight so keen and strong,

Disclaimer: Sisko is not mine. Star Trek is not mine. Bajor is not mine. They are Paramount's.

"Silver Starship" is to the tune of "Yellow Submarine."

_For who has sight so keen and strong,_

_The universe is like a river. You can't step into it twice. It always changes and moves in subtle, but infinitely important ways. You can predict where it will bend and meander, where it will move and how it will sculpt the landscape around it. But, no one can possible say where each little drop will end up. Maybe our little galaxy is just a single drop in the river. Maybe I am just a single drop- _

"Look at this!" Wena said gleefully, putting a flower too close to Ben's face. It was a simple ring of petals, light purple, with a small dot of yellow in the center.

"It's lovely." He told her.

"We have flowers like this at home." She told him, putting it behind her ear.

Of course, when they left the room it would disappear. Wena knew this. She had a holoprojector in her room. But hers was a basic one, not nearly as elaborate, as detailed, as vibrant or as sharp as this one. They'd gone from a huge, dark room to a field, with a forest next to it and a river in between. She was well aware that it would all disappear, but that did not matter to her. It was here now, it was real now, and it was beautiful now. Her mother had always been wary of holodecks. She thought that happiness should be saved for reality, not wasted on fantasies.

She got up and walked towards the river. She squatted by the edge, as close as she could get. It ran at a leisurely pace.

"In the town where I was born, lived a man who sailed the skies, and he told us of his life, in the land of Enterprise, so we sailed above the moon…" She sang softly to herself, unsure and uncaring of whether anyone could hear her.

"Silver Starship. Kids used to sing that when I was her age. I can't believe it's still around." Ben told Kio.

"Some things never go away." She said, fond memories of hearing her mother sing it to her rushing into her mind.

The song brought back memories for Ben, too. He remembered when Jake was little; he used to like that song. He never admitted to singing it, but sometimes he'd overhear Jake playing in his room singing quietly to himself

"and we live among the stars, in our silver starship, we all live in a silver starship, a silver starship, a silver starship…"

If Ben let him know that he was there, Jake would be embarrassed and stop immediately.

He loved this trip to the holosuites. He'd spent most of his time cramped up in his quarters. Kilos would visit him every now and again, but it was getting harder since there were always a few people sitting outside the door waiting for him to come out. Kio and Wena couldn't even leave. They'd had to be transported to the 'suites from inside the station.

"Wena" Ben said, "Come here."

Wena looked behind her, got up and sat down next to Ben, tying knots in a long blade of grass.

"I want to tell you a story." He said.

"Hmm." She said, looking up, dropping the grass.

"It's about a man named Benny Russell. Benny was a writer…"

Jijiji

"When Sisko becomes the First Minister, I'm going to move to Jalanda."

"What makes you think he's going to become First Minister?"

"Do you think he'd come back just to sit around and do nothing?"

"I though he'd preach or something. I never really thought about it."

"He's going to become the First Minister. Everyone knows that."


	8. That it can follow the flight of song?

Disclaimer: Sisko is not mine. Star Trek is not mine. Bajor is not mine. They are Paramount's.

_That it can follow the flight of song?_

"I've always wondered about what it must be like for the symbiont. Immortality."

Sisko and Kilos were in Sisko's quarters. They'd been meeting on the promenade for late dinners, until word got around that Sisko only came out of his rooms at night and they were mobbed by worshippers, and had to relocate. Lila and Wena could still go out without too much trouble.

"The symbiont is not immortal. They can die."

"But nobody knows a symbiont's natural life span. They could live forever. I could live forever. So, what is it like?"

"I don't know. That's like asking 'What is it like to live?'"

"But, there must be a difference, between being a joined Trill and a non-joined Trill."

"A very big difference. But, all Trill die."

"But if their joined they have the knowledge that they will go on, in memory."

"Benjamin, I'm not sure what you're getting at. I think you know how it feels to know that you will always be remembered. I think you knew that feeling even before you went with the Prophets. Are you asking about the symbiont, or the host?"

"Both."

"The host's life is like yours before you went with the prophets. The symbiont's is like yours now. Does that help?"

"Not really."

"Benjamin, I don't think I can give you the answers you're looking for. Life is different for every person, and I can't tell you what your will be like. Even if I have lived through twelve."

"I thought it was eleven."

"You're forgetting Verad."

"Right. Verad. Right. Are you going to finish that moba?" He asked, already reaching for it.

"Greedy."

Jijiji

After Kilos had left, Benjamin received a communication from Jalanda City, Bajor.

"First Minister Kalen, it's good to see you!" He said when the image came on the screen on his wall.

"It's good to see you as well, Emissary." She said, putting special, awed emphasis on "emissary."

"What's the reason for this pleasure?"

"Well, Emissary-"

"Sisko, please." He was coming around to hate that title almost as much as he loved it.

"Right. Sisko. I've contacted you to clear up this whole matter of you becoming First Minister."

"I wasn't aware that I was becoming First Minister."

She looked relieved to hear that.

"Neither was I. But, many people here on Bajor seem to think so. Haven't you heard anything about it at the House…the station?"

"I've been trapped in my quarters. I can't get one foot out the door without being mobbed. They wait for me at the _door._" He did not mean to complain, just to illustrate how cut off he was from everyone. He was the Emissary. The universe was at his feet. He had no right to complain. But sometimes they slipped out.

"Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't realize. Just to be clear, you do not intend to become the First Minister of Bajor?"

"Don't worry; you're safe."

She smiled slightly.

"Thank you. Good night."

"Good night."

The screen went black.

_First Minister? Why would I become First Minister? I wonder if they expect me to become the Kai as well. I should except to hear from him soon. It makes sense. They have their Emissary, their link to the Prophets, real and solid as the dirt beneath them, at last. It makes sense that they'd want me to run everything for them. It would be almost like having the Prophets run everything for them. _He though. _I must nip this in the bud, before it gets out of hand. _

Wena and Lila returned, and they talked about going around the shops and all the nice things people gave them, and Wena was sad that they had to give them back. Sisko told them what he'd talked about with Kilos. He didn't tell them about his talk with the First Minister.


	9. Long, long afterward, in an oak

Disclaimer: Sisko is not mine. Star Trek is not mine. Bajor is not mine. They are Paramount's.

Dream sequence! Que the wiggly screen! I actually wrote this months ago when I started the story. I'm sorry I haven't posted in such a long time, but someone had one of my other stories removed from FF, and I was kind of freaked out.

_Long, long afterward, in an oak_

He was a figure, a simple figure of a man, brown and featureless, flat on a painting, and Dukat was another simple figure of a man, grey and featureless, and they had swords at each others throats, but they could not move, and the eyes of so many people come to look at the painting were digging into him,

And they were the same two people, but the spectators were in a circle, waiting expectantly to see who would win, watching to see Sisko defeat Dukat, the angle slay the devil,

And then they were at a table, a long table in a fine white silk cloth, with golden plates and goblets, and food, fine delicacies from every planet, yet he could smell none of it, and guests lined the table of all color, creed and ilk, chatting and laughing away, yet he could hear none of it. He was at one end, and Dukat was at the other. The gul lifted his goblet, and declared to the suddenly attentive guests:

"Drink! Drink! Drain your glass! Raise your glass high! Raise your glass to the King of Bajor!"

And they all turned to face him and he felt the weight of gold and silver and gems, necklaces and bracelets and crowns and fine furs crushing him and he couldn't breathe

And he was a bird, a white dove, soaring high, and below him was Dukat, a poisonous black snake, hissing at him, he could see but he could not hear because he was too high up,

And Dukat was mad, a mad man sitting in a white straightjacket, screaming and Sisko was a sane man in a white coat with a long needle in his hand

"Prophet!" said Dukat

"Thing of evil!" said Sisko

"Prophet still, if bird or devil!"

And then they were colors, just colors, blue and red, green and orange, cool and vibrant colors,

And they were generals on the battlefield, on opposing sides, and Dukat was winning, smiling and winning and grinning and winning,

And they were in space, vast and empty space, airless, and it was another battlefield, Sisko and the Prophets, Dukat and the Pah-wraiths, and Sisko was winning, and grimacing,

And the people were cheering, thousands of people, cheering for Sisko, no Dukat anywhere, and he thought, just for a second, that he saw Kasidy and Jake standing in the crowd, but they were not, and it comforted him, because they were where they had to be.


End file.
